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A Troll and a Sea Lion Walk into a Bar...

X, formerly known as Twitter, is a hot spot for trolls, doxxing, and sea-lioning. Whether these are influenced by bots and foreign agents or simply due to the fact that users feel it is their role to be trolls, the berating and harassment is constant. Politically amped individuals are known for sea-lioning. They are constantly commenting on posts or other comments so that they can bait other individuals into debating on a particular subject. It is quite common for individuals who engage in sea-lioning in a political debate to ask for backup evidence to a claim made; this is common since politics are discussed and documented on television, podcasts, books, magazines, federal documents, and more. The sexism on X is apparent as well. As a sports fan, I follow journalists of all kinds—a lot of them are females—and the number of comments that attempt to sexualize, degrade, or harass reporters and sports columnists is abhorrent. Not only do trolls take part in these absurd behaviors but, thankfully, other users attempt to defend and support those who are being harassed, to which said trolls will commonly refer to them has a “white knight.” X has shown me all of it and whether its sports, politics, healthcare, or entertainment, the trolls are everywhere and the circus that they perform for seems to never leave town.

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There is something really satisfying about an Irish solicitor taking a stroll in the park and telling you how you can block trolls on social media. Terry Gorry tells viewers that they can block trolls on social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube and not only discusses how to do so but he also goes in-depth on the misconception of some techniques when blocking YouTube trolls. From technical advice and inside the mind of a troll, to speaking on humanity and the individual, Terry Gorry provides a light conversation about social media trolls with a walk through the park.

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X/Twitter has been a platform to provide people with a voice, which has been used to shed light on police brutality toward Black people. Twelve years ago, #BlackLivesMatter played a pivotal role in online activism on social media and has grown to be a movement.

When many news outlets overlooked the deaths of Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin, people took to Twitter to let everyone else know that police brutality against Black people was more than a just a few 'bad apples'—it was a pandemic. #BlackLivesMatter has introduced X/Twitter users to have discussions with other users on the subject of police brutality, increased exposure to peaceful protests, and continues to be a staple for activism on social media.

The meaning is simple: Black. Lives. Matter.

Period.

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"'The Internet is the realm of the coward. These are people who are all sound and no fury.' Maybe. But maybe, in the information age, sound is as destructive as fury." - Joel Stein, Time Magazine, August 18, 2016.

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Online Privacy a Concern Amongst Instagram Users

Check out this article about how privacy concerns grow amongst Instagram users after the social media platform unveiled its maps feature, a geotagging function that tells other people where you're at. This is relevant because one's privacy concern regarding their location is another troll's opportunity to harass them and potentially create a dangerous situation.

Instagram's Map feature raises privacy concerns among some users